Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Defecation ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Short Bowel Syndrome ; physiopathology ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the immunological activity of Streptomyces polysaccharide (SMP) on normal and immunosuppressed mice.

METHODSThe effect of SMP on the proliferating activity of normal mouse splenocytes was tested in the mixed lymphocyte culture, and the changes of peripheral blood T lymphocytes were evaluated with acid a-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) method. The ratio of Lyt2+ and L3T4+ T cell subsets was measured by flow cytometry.

RESULTSSMP stimulated obvious proliferation of mixed lymphocytes, showed protective effects on T lymphocyte and increased the ratio of Lyt2+ and L3T4+ cell subsets to nearly normal level in immunosuppressed mice.

CONCLUSIONSSMP can regulate the immune function in mice.

Animals ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Female ; Immunocompromised Host ; immunology ; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Polysaccharides ; immunology ; Spleen ; cytology ; Streptomyces ; chemistry ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; immunology

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has caused outbreaks of SARS-like disease with 35% case-fatality rate, mainly in the Middle East. A more severe outbreak of MERS occurred recently in the Republic of Korea, where 186 people contracted the infections, causing great concern worldwide. So far, there has been no clinically available drug for the treatment of MERS-CoV infection. The potential drugs against MERS-CoV mainly consist of monoclonal antibodies, peptides and small molecular agents. Small molecular agents have an advantage of easier synthesis, lower cost in production and relatively higher stability. There is better chance for those candidates to gain a quick development. This article reviews the progress of developing small molecular MERS-CoV agents.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; pharmacology ; Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; Coronavirus Infections ; drug therapy ; Drug Design ; Humans ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus ; drug effects

Hemorrhage of the basal ganglia is common in hypertensive patients, and most of the cases are spon- taneous unilateral hemorrhage. Traumatic basal ganglia hemorrhage is uncommon, while bilateral hemorrhage of the basal ganglia after trauma is an extremely rare entity. This report described a rare case of bilateral hemorrhage of the basal ganglia after head trauma. We also analyzed the mechanisms and reviewed relative literatures.
Basal Ganglia Hemorrhage ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; complications ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo observe the curative effect of porous tantalum rod and Gugutou Huaisiyu Capsule (GHC) for steroid-induced osteonecrosis of femoral head (SONFH).

METHODSA total 60 hips of 50 SONFH patients were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group according to grouping time, 25 in each group (30 hips). Patients in the control group were implanted with porous tantalum rod, while those in the treatment group additionally took GHC (5 pills each time, three time per day for 2 successive months; and then twice per day for 4 successive months). Then all patients were followed-up to observe Harris hip score. The curative effect and the femoral head survival time were assessed.

RESULTSA total of 49 patients (59 hips) were followed-up. The Harris hip score of the two groups at the final follow-up was significantly improved after treatment, with statistical difference when compared with before treatment (P < 0.01). Besides, it was higher in the treatment group than in the control group. The curative effect and the survival time were superior in the treatment group, with statistical difference when compared with the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSPorous tantalum rod combined GHC got better effect in treating SONFH. It could significantly improve the function of affected hips and prolong the survival time of femoral head.

Capsules ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Femur Head Necrosis ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Prostheses and Implants ; Steroids ; adverse effects ; Tantalum

The herbs used as the material for traditional Chinese medicine are mostly planted at mountain areas where there is appropriate weather condition. Due to the complex terrain condition in mountain area, the planting at such places is always associated with a scattered pattern, which inevitably bring difficulty to the work of accurate measurement for the planting area. Advanced research about monitoring the planting area for medicine-herb under complex environmental condition is so critical and meaningful for developing the medicine-herb planting to a large scale and an industry. Therefore, this research, taking the planting of Herpetospermum pedunculosum in Luding county as an example, utilizes RS&GIS: using the image data from TM and ETM datum as the remote sensing information source, integrating GPS data from quadrat survey on the spots, and analyzing on a GIS platform, to extract the planting area of H. pedunculosum in Luding county. The results indicate that: (1) the method and technology used to estimate the planting area of H. pedunculosum are feasible and can be applied to monitoring the planting area of medicine-herb at mountain area under complex environmental conditions: (2) the planting area of H. pedunculosum in Luding county is estimated to be 857. 246 acres by the methods utilized in this research, which is closed to the value from local statistical data with an error range less than 5%; (3) in consideration of those inevitable errorrs generating from the procedures such as remote sensing data acquisition, data preprocessing, data interpretation, and so on, and the fact that the classification of remote sensing data, which must be implemented by those above procedures, was used directly to extract the herb type, the accuracy of area estimation for the herb is significantly influenced by the accuracy of classification for herb type, and the estimated area is inevitably associated with some error.
China ; Cucurbitaceae ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Geographic Information Systems ; Medicine, Tibetan Traditional ; Remote Sensing Technology ; methods

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Delayed Graft Function ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Female ; Graft Rejection ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Humans ; Kidney ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Kidney Function Tests ; Kidney Transplantation ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the chemical constituents in Bruguiera sexangula var. rhynchopetala.

METHODSilica gel flash chromatography together with Sephadex LH - 20 were performed for the isolation and purification of the petrol ether fraction of this plant, and the structures were elucidated by spectral analysis as well as the comparison of the spectral data with those reported in the literatures.

RESULTNine compounds were obtained and identified as lupeol (1), lupeone (2), trans-hydroxy-cinnamoyl ester of lupeol (3), taraxerone (4), beta-amyril-palmitate (5), squalene (6),beta-sitosterol (7), daucosterol (8) and 7alpha-hydroxy-sitosterol (9).

CONCLUSIONAll the compounds were first isolated from B. sexangula var. rhynchopetala.

Oleanolic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Pentacyclic Triterpenes ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rhizophoraceae ; chemistry ; Sitosterols ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Triterpenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

The clinical application of Chinese patent medicines has suffered sever problems and required guidelines for clinical practices. Currently, the expert consensus method is more suitable for formulating clinical practice guidelines of Chinese patent medicines than the evidence-based method. However, there remain problems in the application of the expert consensus method. This study proposed a derivative expert consensus method--a method for formulating clinical practice guidelines of common Chinese patent medicines based on clinical practices, and introduced the method in terms of research thought, methodology and implementation procedure.
Evidence-Based Medicine ; standards ; Humans ; Nonprescription Drugs ; standards

This study is to investigate protective effect of safflor yellow B (SYB) against vascular endothelial cells (VECs) injury induced by angiotensin-II (Ang-II). VECs were cultured and divided into six groups: control group, Ang-II group, Ang-II + SYB (1 micromolL(-1)) group, Ang-II + SYB (10 micromolL(-1)) group, Ang-II + SYB (100 micromolL(-1)) group and Ang- II + verapamil (10 micromolL(-1)) group. Except control group, all of VECs in other groups were treated with Ang- II at the final concentration of 0.1 micromolL(-1). Mitochondria membrane potential (MMP) and free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) were measured by laser scanning confocal microscopy, and mitochondria complex IV activity was detected by BCA method. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in VECs were analyzed by fluorescence detector and apoptosis of VECs was observed by flow cytometer. Caspase 3 was determined by Western blotting method. Comparing with control group, Ang-II was able to increase [Ca2+]i and ROS level, decrease MMP level, inhibit complex IV activity and enhance caspase 3 activity in VECs, as a result, enhance apoptosis of VECs. But SYB could significantly reduce the result induced by Ang- II relying on different dosages (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). SYB was able to eliminate the effect of Ang-II on VECs via regulating [Ca2+]i, mitochondrial structure and function and inhibiting apoptosis.
Angiotensin II ; adverse effects ; Antioxidants ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Carthamus tinctorius ; chemistry ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Chalcone ; analogs & derivatives ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Electron Transport Complex IV ; metabolism ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; drug effects ; Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Vasoconstrictor Agents ; adverse effects